Derveni tombs

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Situla from grave Z

The Derveni tombs in Macedonia near the pass of the same name date from the late 4th or early 3rd century BC. They were discovered in 1962 and until then had remained largely untouched. The most significant finds are the Derveni papyrus and the Derveni crater ; They are exhibited in the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki along with an abundance of other objects found in the graves . The bronze and silver finds are some of the largest connected finds from the classical period.

location

The first of the Derveni graves was discovered on January 15, 1962 during road construction work about ten kilometers north of Thessaloniki , near the pass called Derveni (Greek: Δερβένι, translated: passage, bottleneck; 40 ° 43 ′ 36 ″  N , 22 ° 58 ′ 57 "  O ). The remaining graves were found in the next seven months.

Six of the seven graves were located about 180 meters northwest of today's road to Langada, which runs in a northeastern direction at this point . Another grave was 500 meters further south, on the other side of the road, the only one recognizable by an artificial hill ( tumulus ).

About three kilometers north is the village of Laîna , roughly on the site of its ancient predecessor Lete (Greek: ητή). It is believed that in ancient times a road related to Lete ran here along which the tombs were lined up. A little further away from the Derveni graves two graves had previously been discovered, both of which were located under tumuli; two other graves in the area were only excavated in the 1990s.

Graves and finds

Only two of the seven graves of the Derveni find were looted, the rest were untouched. Five of the graves were built like an underground stone box - the walls were made of reddish stone blocks and the inside was plastered. The walls of another grave were plastered with mortar, but not bricked up with stone blocks. The seventh - somewhat remote from the others - lay under a tumulus; Because of this indicative sign it was easily recognizable and looted several times. The graves are dated to the last quarter of the 4th or early 3rd century BC. Dated. Charalampos Makaronas and Photias Petsas carried out the first investigations on the Derveni graves.

The graves are marked with Greek letters according to the literature .

  • Grave Α, 207 cm long, 90 cm wide and 108 cm deep, with brick walls and a cover made of stone blocks, was the first of the graves to be discovered by chance, followed by investigations that led to the discovery of the other graves in the course of the following months. The grave was completely untouched, charred remains of the cremation site lay on its cover. These remains contained spearheads, silver and bronze parts of a breastplate or shield, parts of harness and gold-plated jewelry beads, as well as an ivory eye whose counterpart was inside the grave. Fragments of capitals made of clay from the ash heap are interpreted together with charred wooden parts, perhaps remains of a column, as part of an elaborate construction on which the body of the buried person rested during the cremation. The most significant find in the ashes above the grave cover was the charred remains of a papyrus , now famous as the Derveni papyrus . Extensive bronze crockery was found inside the tomb, as well as Attic ceramics. A volute crater made of bronze, almost 60 centimeters high, contained the ashes of the buried person, next to it fragments of a golden wreath as well as bronze leaves and earthen berries of another wreath. Remnants of the cloth that had covered the crater were found on the rim of its opening and on the shoulders of the vessel. After grave B, grave A was the most richly furnished of the Derveni graves.
  • Grave Β, 306 centimeters long, 153 centimeters wide and 162 centimeters deep, had brick walls and a cover made of stone blocks. The plastered walls were painted red up to half the height, and above them white with a surrounding garland of olive branches with bluish-red leaves and black fruits. The tomb was untouched and the most richly decorated of the seven. The most significant find in this grave was a particularly magnificent and, with a height of 91 centimeters, particularly large bronze volute crater, known today as the Derveni crater . When the tomb opened, the crater had fallen on its side. A 36 centimeter high masonry pedestal, 75 centimeters from the short east wall, was intended for him. The lid of the crater, worked as a sieve, was not far away. The crater contained the ashes of a man and a woman and the remains of a cloth. It also contained three golden needles, a ring, the remains of a wreath, a posthumously minted golden quarter stater of Philip II and the bones of a sheep. Tissue remnants on the outside of the crater suggest that it was wrapped in a cloth. In addition to bronze and silver vases, weapons, armor and a pair of stirrups, the grave contained a gold diadem and a small container with remnants of white lead. A total of 23 pieces made of bronze and 20 made of silver were found. There was also pottery of Attic origin. Small alabastrons had hung from nails driven into the walls and had fallen over the centuries.
  • Grave Γ: The burial chamber with vault and tumulus was looted several times. An Attic red-figure pelike reconstructed from the sherds found there and other sherds were dated to the 4th century BC. Dated.
  • Grave Δ, 240 cm long, 180 cm wide and 150 cm deep, with brick walls, covered with wooden planks, was found untouched. Two men were buried unburned at a certain distance from each other. The finds included a golden wreath of myrtle leaves and an eighth stater of Philip II. In this grave, bronze symposium tableware and Attic black veneered ceramics were found.
  • Grave Ε, 144 cm long, 136 cm wide and 60 cm deep, with brick walls, was originally covered with stone blocks that later broke; they were found on the stone floor of the untouched grave. The few finds from this grave include two coins, one of them a quarter stater of Alexander the Great , some gold pearls and the remains of the wooden ashtray with ivory decoration.
  • Grave Ζ, 110 cm long and 86 cm wide, without masonry but with plaster on the walls, was discovered with a collapsed wooden plank cover; it was untouched. The grave contained gold jewelry, a silver bowl, bronze vases, including a basin-like vessel for ablutions before the symposium and a situla - a common vessel shape in Macedonia. The grave also contained Attic black-veneered pottery.
  • Grave Η, the smallest of the graves, 108 cm long, 72 cm wide and 60 cm deep, originally covered by a stone block that was found broken, was looted before it was found. Nevertheless, when it was excavated it still contained a gold earring, an amphora, an Attic red-figure pelike and an Attic black veneered calyx crater.

literature

Web links

Commons : Derveni Tombs  - Collection of Images

Coordinates: 40 ° 42 ′ 54 ″  N , 22 ° 57 ′ 38 ″  E